Ornamental forms or designs upon



' 2 Sheets-Sheet -1. J. BURKHARDT. MEGHANISM POR IMPRESSI RNAMENTAL FORMS 0R DESIGNS UPON M LL10 TUBING.

Patented Mar. 26, 1'8'89.

NG 0 ETA mumm v 1 AWE/L72 v I I ATTORNEY,

WITIVESSES:

(N0 Modem 2 Sheets- 8119 2;

. v J. BURKHAR DT. V MECHANISM FOR IM-PRESSJNG ORNAMENTAL FORMS 0R DESIGNS UPON METALLIGHTIIBING.

No. 400,394. Patent ed'Mar. 26,1889.

- u ATTORNEY,

N. PETERS, Phoin-ulhagnphuf, .Washmghm. n.c.

UNITED STATES PATENT QFFICE.

JOHN BURKHARDT, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

MECHANlSM FOR IMPRESSING ORNAM ENTAL FORMS 0R DESIGNS UPON METALLIC TUBlNG.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 400,394, dated March 26, 1889.

Application filed May 31, 1888. Serial No. 275,542. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN BURKHARDT, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Mechanism for Impressing upon Metallic Tubing Ornamental Forms or Designs; and I hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

The object of my invention is to produce symmetrical ornamental depressions upon the outer surfaces or peripheries of metal tubes for use in the manufacture of fenders, chandeliers, and numerous other artistic articles; and my invention consists in providing novel mechanism, including a series of die-plates arranged to form a circle, through which circle metal tubes may be inserted for the action of the die-plates, and die-plate actuators havin g concavities of the form of frustums of cones to act upon the die-plates, as hereinafter set forth. I a

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 represents a plan of the inner faoe-of the disks or plates provided with radial grooves extending from a central circular opening through the disks to their peripheries, in which grooves the vertically-arranged die-plates work, a part only of the grooves being shown. Fig. 2 represents a side elevation of one ofthe die-plates. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view of the same. Fig. 4 represents a section of metal tubing with outer ornamental depressions thereon produced by my new mechanism; also the side elevation of one of the die-plates.

Fig. 5 represents a central vertical section of my mechanism or machine connected together, ready to receive a plain piece of tubing through opening 0; and Fig. 6 represents a side elevation of modified die -plates, each plate having three series of edge undulations.

In Fig. 1, A denotes a transverse section of a portion of the die-plates as arranged in grooves formed in the disks B, respectively, and also shown in vertical sectional view in Fig. 5. The die-plates form a circle between the radially-grooved disks B B, and work edgewise radially therein. Counter-dies D are formed with cup-shaped concavities E, corresponding in form, respectively, with the tapering outer edges of the die-plates when arranged in their circular working positions.

The counter-dies serve, when the machine is in operation, to cause the die-plates to move uniformly toward the center of opening 0 O O", and the small spring-wires y, inserted through holes F of the series of die-plates A, serve to hold them and to cause said plates to move outwardly to their normal positions when relieved from pressure of the counterdies D, and the pressure also of the spiral springs G, which act upon the disks B through the tubular disk-holders J, is relieved when the counter-dies are withdrawn from the dieplates A.

The springs G, located in chambers H, act directly against shoulders I on the disk-holdei's J and serve to retain the disks B in; their relation to the die-plates A by gentle pressure, so as to allow said plates to be actuated by the counter-dies, as above mentioned. The ends of the die-plates work in radial grooves in the inner faces of disks B, which grooves serve to guide the plates uniformly in their movements. The counter-dies D D are made in two parts, which are fastened together at the line as a: by screw-bolts K. L denotes the table of a power-press, upon which is seated counter-die D, and the counter-die D is provided with a hollow cylindrical neck, M, which projects above and is inserted into a corresponding opening in the slide or plunger N of the press and secured therein by screw-bolts O O.

The modified'form of the die-plates in Fig. 6 shows a triple set of undulating workingedges of uniform configuration, the upper section, P, being of greatest width, the middle section, Q, of less width, and the lower section, B, of least width. Die-plates of this modified construction may be substituted for the plates A, and will enable the manipulator of the metal tubing being wrought upon to cause the impressions of the die-plates to be gradually formed, and thereby prevent liability of crushing the thinner kinds of metal tubing subj ected to the action of the dies. In the use of these triple-faced die-plates the, tube to be compressed will be inserted up through the opening 0 of the press-table L and be passed upward until its upper end reaches the line 8, Fig. 6, when the die-plates will be compressed by the counter-dies D, (actuated by a press,)

which will cause an impression to to be made upon the tube equal to the space between lines 0 (Z and e m. (Seen in Fig. 4.) The dies will then be opened or withdrawn, and the tube will be advanced to an extent that will carry the portion of tubing acted upon by section R of the die-plates to a central place in opening 0 G (/"and opposite to section Q. of the die-plates, and then a second action of the press will cause section R to act, as before, upon a plain portion of the tube, while the central section, Q, of the die-plates will act upon that portion which received the first impression, and this will deepen the impressions or figures to the extent of the distance between lines 6 m and f n, and when the next vertical adjustment of the tube being acted upon is made all three of the sections 1 Q R of the die-plates will act together, the upper section, P, will cause an additional depth of the impression to be made on the tube equal to the distance shown in Fig. 4. between lines f n and g 20, and so on to the completion.

Besides the designs represented in Fig. 4, the die-plates may be made to embody many different designs by giving to their inner working-edges different shapes. The dieplates A may be arranged to form longitudinal corrugations at any desired distance apart, and for this purpose the working-edges 7 may be made rectilineal instead of undulating.

It is evident from the nature of the invention that many changes may be made in the working-edges of a series of die-plates working toward and from a central line, guided in radial grooves or ways to act uniformlyupon the perimeter of a tube or cylindrical surface of a body of metal or other substance. Convex, concave, spiral, or other indentations may be impressed by substituting die-plates of suitable configuration.

It should be observed that although the lower counter-die, D, rests upon the table of a press, the action of the upper die, D, will cause the circle of die-plates A to be forced into the die D to the same extent that the upper die is forced by the press down around the die-plates A, and thereby the impressions upon the work will be of equal depth throughout the vertical extent; also, to vary the amount of surface configuration to be given to the perimeter of the tube, each alternate die-plate A may be removed from the set or circle of die-plates, and the figure or design to be impressed may be modified by using alternate die-plates A of different forms of working-edges.

To allow space for freedom of movement of the set of die-plates A, they must be arranged in the radial grooves of the disks B a sufiicient distance apart to permit them to act upon the tube to be embellished Without coming in contact as they advance toward the center of the tube. For instance, at the beginning of the inward movement the diameter of the opening within the set of die-plates may be one and three-quarters of an inch, and if working upon the perimeter of an inch-tube the diameter of the opening would be diminished to about three-fourths of an inch. This would form the impressions in the tube to about the depth of one-fourth of an inch.

Having fully described my invention, I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. Die-plates in combination with radiallygrooved disks, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. The sectional chambered counter-dies D D, springs G, and tubular disk-holders J, in combination with the disks B, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

3. The set of die-plates A, retained in vertical planes, respectively, by the retracting spring-wires y, working in holes 2 of the dieplates, and the grooves in the inner faces of disks B, in combination with the counter-dies D D, substantially as described.

4. The triple-faced die-plates, with three series of undulating faces or working-edges, P Q R, for gradually forming indented designs or ornamental configurations upon the perimeters of tubing, substantially as described.

JOIIN BURKHARDT.

\Vitnesses:

H. P. K. PECK, JAMES G. McMURnAY. 

